Thursday, August 23, 2018

Martin and Lowry Dominate 5o5 North American Championship at StFYC


Mike Martin and Adam Lowry got out front early and stayed there through eleven races over four days of competition at the 505 North American Championship at St. Francis Yacht Club August 9-12, 2018. With a picket fence after two discards, Martin and Lowry of St. Francis Yacht Club are the North American Champions.

“We couldn’t be happier,” said Martin of the win. “We sailed well across the full spectrum of conditions. Taking an early lead certainly took the pressure off. With such a diversity of conditions, we knew we didn’t have to take as many chances.”

The battle for second place was much tighter, with just eight points separating second from fifth, ultimately shaking out in favor of Howard Hamlin and Andy Zinn (ABYC/NHYC).
“It’s never felt better to finish second,” said Hamlin. “These guys are the best and no one was even near them.”

Ted Conrads and Jeff Nelson, of Donner Lake, had a strong final day and finished third overall. Jesse Kirkland and Reeve Dunn (RBYC) were holding strong at second over three days of races, but slipped to fourth. The top three teams all had World Champions aboard, with the event boasting a total of seven. 

“Everyone that beat us was either a World Champion or a former Olympian, so it’s the best fifth place I’ve ever gotten,” said Parker Shinn, who sailed with Eric Anderson (StFYC/YCYC).

Strong winds challenged the middle two days, with 25 knots sustained wind closing down racing early on day two. A heavy flood tide on day three made for long upwind battles and more than a little carnage.

“Current was a big factor,” said Lowry, who cited a slight homefield advantage. “It’s true of all of us who are part of the St. Francis team that when the current gets crazy you’re engrained and know how to figure it into your tactics.”

The ocean’s an equal opportunity opponent, punishing both locals and visitors with potentially game-ending breakages, ultimately working in favor of StFYC’s Blaine Pedlow and David Meleney, who won a new jib from Glaser Sails for snapping two rudders but sailing through the end of the regatta.  

Other prizes included Yeti Coolers for the top five teams, and two perpetual trophies: the Dennis Surtees Service Award, which went to Pip Pearson, and the Dave Cahn Sportsmanship Award, earned by Carl Smit.

Amanda Witherall





Sunday, June 10, 2018

2018 Santa Cruz Summer Open - Mike Holt

This weekend saw 10 boats racing for the Santa Cruz Summer Open. Those that didn’t make it, which include Mike Martin who had to wash his hair(I know, just jealous as I don’t have much..) and has now missed half the California events this year.

To the racing, Saturday saw a front pass through early in the morning causing some funky weather, very gusty shifty conditions with the wind out of the North and a windward mark just off the wharf. Don Radcliffe and his team did a great job setting up a race track in very tricky conditions. Three races were run and staying in the pressure downwind was the name of the game. Every race was a photo finish with 2,3 and even 4 boats overlapping at the line. When the dust had settled, Eric and Parker had a narrow lead from Carl and Mike who were tied with Steve and Bob and Reeve and Jeff a little further back.

Sunday saw different conditions, no wind out to Mile bouy, then big breeze outside that. Don and his team did all they could to set up a race track, even using a Rib as the top mark! With the wind gusting to around 30 at the top mark and one lap races, a crazy time was had by all. The first race saw yet another amazing photo finish with 4 boats coming in at the same time, somehow Steve and Bob edged the finish and really none of us had a clue who beat who with us crossing the line at full speed. The 2nd and last race was just as full on and crazy. Steve and Bob lead from a close bunch, the first 3 gybe set to find some more “sailable” conditions, Reeve and Jeff though “sent it” to the big breeze. We all headed down wind at full speed, all gybed on each other, but out of the spray came Reeve and Jeff at full speed to take the wind from a 3 way tie for 2nd!

Great sailing and racing all weekend, thanks to Don and team and the SCYC for running great racing and arranging Pizza and prizes after.

Boats are packed and we are off to Bellingham for the PCC’s next weekend.

Tuesday, May 15, 2018

2018 WRSC Spring Regatta - Tyler Moore

10 teams sailed West River last weekend. The wind allowed only 2 races to be completed which did not allow for any mistakes to be made by any teams. Ali and Russell took the early lead after race 1 but in doing so, maybe he pushed himself too far?  Or was Russell already committed to Macy for race 2 (slut)?  Or did Russell just jump ship?  Only he can spill the truth. In any case, this opened the door and it was a mad dash to fill the vacuum. In the second race, experience prevailed over enthusiasm as Macy, Parry, and Russell (were they sailing 3 up?) took the win and sealed what would end up being the event. Dan and Austin secured second just beating out Chris and Curtis with Dave and Jay making a strong move into 4th. With drama like this, ECC’s should be very juicy!  Make sure you’re there to witness it instead of having to catch the re-runs.


Fleet Boat Class SailNo HelmName CrewName Rating Nat R1 R2 Total Nett
505 Highway 95 Revisited 505 USA 9095 G. Nelson 0 USA 2.0 1.0 3.0 3.0
505 505 8913 Dan Herlihy Austin Powers 0 USA 5.0 3.0 8.0 8.0
505 Boaty 505 9165 Curtis Hartmann 0 USA 7.0 2.0 9.0 9.0
505 Wicked Pissa 505 8822 David Burchfiel Joseph Smith 0 USA 3.0 6.0 9.0 9.0
505 Jane's Addiction 505 8883 Michael Renda Kelsey Averill 0 USA 6.0 5.0 11.0 11.0
505 Macy's Reject 505 7200 Ali/Russell Meller/Miller Russell Miller 0 USA 1.0 11.0 DNC 12.0 12.0
505 Deer Hunter 505 9138 Barney Harris 0 USA 11.0 RET 4.0 15.0 15.0
505 Toxic Asset 505 9003 Jesse Falsone Tyler Mowry 0 USA 4.0 11.0 DNC 15.0 15.0
505 Dr. Crash 505 8850 Douglas Watson MATTHEW BRETON 0 CAN 11.0 DNS 7.0 18.0 18.0
505 505 88 Jimmy Praley Geoff Gales 0 USA 11.0 DNS 11.0 DNC 22.0 22.0

2018 Newport Fleet Regatta - Duane Delfosse

  • People had FUN!  4 races with wind ranging from 8 to 20+ in the puffs sailing Saturday. Sadly, too little wind in the AM Sunday
  • 7 Boats attended!  
    • Sol and Grace
    • Peter and John
    • Mike B and two different crews including Brendan Larabee from Stamford CT
    • Tom H. and Mike K
    • Tom K. and Gordon
    • Duane and Georges
    • Mark L. and Andy 
  • W/L - 2X  courses, short with lots of tacks, gybes and sets.
  • THANKS to John Ingalls for scrounging an RC RIB
  • THANKS to Vinny Pattavina for doing RC
  • THANKS to Mike Komar for pulling it together as regatta chair 
  • Carnage included a pulled out main sheet cleat (Tom K) a shredded kite and broken Trap hook (Duane) and miscellaneous other smaller damage among the boats.
  • Tom Kivney and Gordon were leading handily after 3 races with 4 points until their main sheet blew up.  Mike K and Tom H ended up winning the day (8 points) with Peter/John in second (9 points) and Tom and Gordon slipping to 3rd (12 points).
  • Although there was no racing on Sunday, Sol/Grace and Mike/Brendan found some wind in the afternoon to score some practice.
One of the highlights was the get together with Ted and Amie Saturday evening at a classic Newport watering hole.  The fleet wishes them well in their adventure off to Guam quite soon.

If you plan to attend the Wickford Regatta, please sign up soon!

Friday, May 4, 2018

2018 Elvstrom/Zellerbach Regatta Report - Parker Shinn

Mike Martin and Adam Lowry put on another clinic last weekend with a clean sweep at the Elvstrom/Zellerbach regatta hosted by StFYC.  Saturday was a mix of moderate to fairly windy conditions. Nick Adamson and Justin Shaffer were showing great speed and tactical prowess on the upwinds where they played the shoreline better than the rest of us to stay out of the flood tide. It was on the ultra fickle downwinds however, that Mike/Adam pulled away from the pack by finding puffs no one else could find. In the last race, Eric Anderson and I (Parker Shinn) decided to follow him despite the fact he was jibing into the shore when we didn’t want to go that way and big surprise… a mystery puff materialized and we managed to put 200 hundred yards between us and Jeff Miller in third.  By the end of the day, it was Mike/Adam with straight bullets, Eric and I with all seconds and Jeff/Pat with all thirds.  

On Sunday the breeze was up and Mike/Adam had an extra gear upwind. The strong flood tide in the first half of the day made the shoreline favored upwind and 15-degree shifts offered plenty of passing opportunities.  Generally, Mike had first place locked down by the windward mark. Nick/Justin would usually round in 2nd, but Eric and I managed to sail a bit lower on the downwind so we could pull an Andy Zinn and jibe on them at the lay line.

All in all, it was fantastic sailing. Unfortunately, some of the usual competitors couldn’t make it out so there were only 6 boats, but word on the street is that the turnout should be great for Santa Barbara in the upcoming weeks. Eric and I will have a new mast in the boat so hopefully, we can make Mike work a little harder for it next time ;) 

Some tuning notes which I think might be helpful for some people… 

Mast Bend
Eric and I are using a different mast from when we sailed the Fall Dingy because we noticed a crack developing beneath the spin halyard sheave. Our upwind speed hasn’t been as good since and this weekend we were scratching our heads trying to figure out why.  The spare mast we’ve been using the past few months doesn’t have a main halyard lock and I think the extra compression is causing quite a bit more mast bend.  We tested this by tying the main to the top of the mast at practice on Tuesday and we seemed to be going much better. We’ll need a day where it’s not blowing 25+ to really find out though. 

The reason I bring this up is that we’ve noticed during our previous training sessions just how important it is for the mast/main/spreader combo to be right. At one point last year we were using a soft M2 with a Radial main and this was very slow. When we swapped the M2 with a stiffer Alto all of a sudden we were on the pace. So if you’re having some upwind speed woes, it might be worth taking a close look at how stiff your mast is. There is more variability in the M2’s than the Altos with them generally being a little softer. If your main halyard locks at the bottom, the compression from the downhaul is doubled and induces quite a bit more bend. Consider tying the main to the top of the mast and seeing if you go any better at the next regatta. 

Generally, we’ve found that the Radial main works much better on an Alto and the cross cut is better for the M2. If you have a really stiff M2 then it’s better to use the Radial. The speed differences have been very significant. 

Hope that’s helpful/interesting to everyone. See you all again soon.

Results:
https://www.regattatoolbox.com/results?eventID=4ZB7Z3FyTY

Tuesday, May 1, 2018

2018 Severn Sailing Association Spring 505 - Ali Meller

Spring has taken its time arriving, and the Chesapeake Bay is cooler than we hoped for, but the first of the Annapolis area 505 events was this past weekend at Severn Sailing Association.

With another event next weekend at WRSC, SSA Spring attracted two Toronto 505s (and their owners, Marek Balinski and Doug Watson, and part of a raccoon family) and a WRSC 505. Both Toronto boats are staying on for WRSC Spring. Neither DHS ICE nor Animal Control were interested in the illegal immigrant raccoons.
The SSA contingent had a fleet captain, Erik Konieczynski, out of the country, and several other boats not yet ready to race. MIA were Gretchen, Chris/Catherine, Michael Parramore, David Neal, Ian/Jimmie, Brendan Connell and Sterg.  None-the-less, there were six (of the seven registered) teams lined up for the first gate start, four from SSA. Of note is that all seven were “pick up” or new teams, not regular practiced teams. However, there was a lot of 505 experience on some of those teams:  Jahn “JT” Tihansky was driving for Jesse Falsone, 505 Midwinter Champion Russell Miller had a guest driver, Sean Harr, for Saturday, while Andy Forman teamed up Doug Watson. Marek Balinski and Barney Harris teamed up again, new SSA team of Geoff Gales and Jimmy Praley were racing (Jimmy’s first 505 race), Paul Andron had a new-to-the-505, new-to-trapezing and new-to-racing crew, Tim Harwood, and Carlos Linares crewed for Ali Meller racing Mike Coe’s boat.
Saturday was warm and light.  Crews were able to get on the wire briefly in puffs, and wire running did not pay (though Russell/Sean tried anyway).  Racing started at low (slack) tide. The left side of the beat seemed to pay off early in the day, then the right developed an advantage, before it switched back to left side favored; there may have been more consistent pressure on the starboard tack layline, closer to the western shore. The flood tide in the Severn River channel probably negated this right-side advantage in the last race.  There were significant lulls and shifts as well, mostly in races 3 and 4. Gybe setting worked well in some races, probably due to there being more pressure on that side at times, and the gradually increasing tidal flow helping to take one down the run. The small chop was skewed to the wind such that port was a bit harder to sail than starboard, upwind. After minimal changes in the standard SSA Sailing Instructions for the last millennia or so, there were some changes for 2018. PRO Barbara Vosbury explained the courses at the competitor’s meeting and held a short quiz afterwards to check if we “got it”. The first two races were four leg windward-leewards, and the last two were “W3” three windward leg (five legs total) races finishing at the weather mark.
Hey Geoff and Jimmy, how many windward legs in a W3 course? 😊
In race 1 Andy/Doug were the bunny. Carlos/Ali gated first and used the world’s hardest-to-tack-and-gybe double mainsheet system to pull the boom to the weather corner of the transom and tried to sail straight upwind.  This made life difficult for the teams on their hip. After squeezing one team off and punching out a bit on the next few, Carlos/Ali tacked to port to consolidate. That allowed a couple of teams to work the left side, and they came out ahead at the weather mark. The RC noted a small right shift and threw a change mark in the water close to the old weather mark, but no course change was signaled for the 505s, almost certainly because the 505s were already on that leg when the mark went into the water. This was enough to confuse one 505 team. Separately, Ali demonstrated that 41 years of 505 experience did not qualify him to drive from the low side of the boat, by sailing Swagman directly into the leeward mark on the spinnaker drop (they did a circle as soon as they were clear of the two 505s closest behind them).  Jimmy/Geoff demonstrated that the years and years of 505 racing experience others in the 505 fleet had was rather overrated by winning the race. Russell/Sean in “One of Macy’s Many 505s” were 2nd, Carlos/Ali 3rd in “Swagman”, Jesse/Jahn 4th in “Not a Liberal” Andy/Doug in “Team Kevorkian” 5th.  Tim/Paul were tricked by the change mark and ended up scored DNF, while Marek/Barney in “Deer Hunter”, were casually taking their time rigging, apparently following Albacore racing practices, and missed the first race.
Race 2 was in similar conditions. Russell/Sean were leading early but wanted to see if wire running could work in five knots (Russell claims it was eight knots at the time, but either way the answer was NO!), so gave the lead to Jesse/Jahn. Carlos/Ali were in the hunt early but wrapped the spinnaker halyard around the upper spreader and could not hoist on the second run until part way down the leg.  At the close finish it was Jesse/Jahn, Russell/Sean, Marek/Barney, Carlos/Ali, Geoff/Jimmy, Andy/Doug and Tim/Paul.
Race 3 was a little weirder with some bigger holes and shifts.  While the other two classes, DaySailers and Snipes, wanted three races and leeward finishes, the 505s wanted more, and perhaps longer, races.  
We are so demanding!
We also convinced the RC to let the 505s do gate starts by asking them to do signals and sounds as normal and look away at ten seconds to go as the bunny rounded the pin on port (do not call them OCS; don’t do anything unless the bunny sails over and asks you to recall it). Exercising the powers delegated to him by Fleet Captain Erik, Ali was picking the rabbit, usually choosing a team that finished 2nd or 3rd and had not been the rabbit yet.  
So Race 3 (and Race 4) had a windward finish. Carlos/Ali used some right-side pressure upwind and gybe set downwind to work there way into the lead during R3.  Jesse/Jahn also gybe set and went even further into the corner downwind to pull into second and threaten Carlos/Ali, but the latter protected the right on the penultimate beat and managed to roll over Jesse/Jahn on the starboard tack layline into the weather mark and opened a bit of a gap for the last run and held it to the finish for the win.  Jesse/Jahn were 2nd, Russell/Sean 3rd, Marek/Barney 4th, Andy/Doug 5th, Geoff/Jimmy 6th (perhaps learning that 505 racing is not as easy as it first looks), and Tim/Paul 7th.  
For anyone keeping score and doing addition in their heads (we were not, but figured it out afterwards to write this article), Jesse/Jahn and Russell/Sean were now tied at seven points, with Carlos/Ali one point back in 3rd.
Race 4 - determined to work the right Ali decided this was a great time to be the bunny, and chose Carlos/himself to be the rabbit.  About halfway to the right side it was apparent that this was not working well, with the entire fleet on their hip and ahead, but Ali was being stubborn and hoping to get to some right-side pressure first, so held on.  This brilliant tactical ploy had them second last at the first weather mark, though the reduced fleet (Tim/Paul had had to sail in early) was close together. There was some minor gunnel banging at the weather mark which left Jesse/Jahn doing circles after the mark and dropping back in the fleet. On the second beat Carlos/Ali decided that if the right was wrong, the left might be right 😊 and sailed for the left corner with Geoff/Jimmy.  After surviving some big holes and then finding relief in a big lefty, it was Russell/Sean, Carlos/Ali and Geoff/Jimmy quite close at the second weather mark.  That order held to the leeward mark, though Russell/Sean opened up a bit and Carlos/Ali barely held off Geoff/Jimmy by staying inside at the leeward mark and dousing late.  Russell/Sean had a clean rounding and held on port. Carlos/Ali had a decent rounding while Geoff/Jimmy’s late douse left them a little low. The latter started footing for clear air and quickly worked through Carlos/Ali’s wind shadow.  
Determined to hit a corner and now convinced that the left corner and not the right was magical, Carlos/Ali tacked and sailed left with Marek/Barney in the main window.  Much like R3, there were big holes and some shifts on this leg. A couple of tacks later, Carlos/Ali and Marek/Barney emerged out of the left corner, pretty much on the port tack layline for the windward finish.  There were keelboats, DaySailors and Snipes spread all over the beat and heading back towards Annapolis, and it was hard to pick out who was where. With a decent cushion on Marek/Barney, Carlos/Ali headed for the finish, wondering where Russell/Sean, Geoff/Jimmy, and Jesse/Jahn were.  Were they far ahead? Would they emerge out of the right corner close to the finish? Were they far behind? They were comforted by seeing an RC member raising the air horn as they approached the finish line. The sound signal confirmed the race win. Marek/Barney were 2nd, Russell/Sean 3rd, Geoff/Jimmy 4th, Andy/Doug 5th and (ouch!) Jesse/Jahn 6th.
The finish line was the part of the race course closest to the Western Shore and it was a reach in to the harbor and SSA, so kites went up again.  Sailing high the 505s found more pressure under the Western Shore and sailed even higher to get the crews on the wire and the 505s planing. This made sailing through the DaySailer fleet much more fun 😊, and it just got better as the 505s approached the Annapolis “harbor hurricane” that has the best pressure on the Bay around the shoal pole.  Maybe we should have raced short courses in the mouth of the Severn?
After four races, Carlos/Ali were one point ahead of Russell/Sean and four points ahead of Jesse/Jahn. Carlos/Ali found this to be very amusing and celebrated with multiple Dark & Stormys.
Ali then put everyone to sleep trying to run a debrief.
With a cold front forecast for Saturday evening, Sunday was expected to be colder and windier.  Several teams were changing players, with Sean being replaced by Macy Nelson and Jahn being replaced by Tyler Mowry.  When everyone turned up at SSA Sunday morning, it was both windier and colder than the forecast and expectations. The other classes scheduled to race Sunday (Thistles and Snipes) opted out early, but the 505 fleet decided to wait a little to see if it warmed up a little. Ali noted that the result was going to be a formality, as Midwinter Champions Russell/Macy would undoubtedly “stamp their authority” on the fleet in the breeze and would quickly overcome their one-point deficit.  It was very windy and puffy (gusts over 30 knots on the East Coast wind scale, water temperature in the low 50s and air temperature under 50) and the air temperature declined to rise. After two postponements, the 505s pulled the plug at noon.
Are we a bunch of old wusses?
So the results after the four races on Saturday stood, and Carlos/Ali won the event by one point over Russell/Sean/Macy, with Jesse/Jahn/Tyler 3rd.
Registration link for WRSC Spring next weekend: http://www.regattanetwork.com/event/16574

Wednesday, February 21, 2018

2018 Florida Midwinters Report - Ali Meller

Once again Ethan and Lin organized an escape from the depths of “winter” for us.  I am tempted to digress into a dissertation on “winter” in the Mid-Atlantic in contrast to WINTER in Edmonton Alberta where I walked to school in grade 2, and the daily high in January or February would be -30 F for several days in a row, but I will spare the reader … Suffice it to say that sailing in Florida in January or February is almost certainly nicer than sailing in Annapolis or New England in January or February (and it is DEFINITELY better than trying to sail in Edmonton).
Ethan and Lin have tried multiple venues over the last few years, moving from Eau Gallie Yacht (and Country & Social) Club in Melbourne FL (sailing on the Indian and Banana rivers) to St. Petersburg Yacht (and dinner) Club in St. Petersburg, to Boca Ciega Bay/Isla del Sol Yacht (and don’t let the sandy riff raff into the men’s room) Club, to Fort DeSoto, to racing off the beach in Pass-a-Grille, and finally to the Clearwater Community Sailing Center.  Having raced almost all these venues (I first showed up at a 505 MW in 1982, WITHOUT A 505, but that is another digression I will spare the reader), Clearwater Community Sailing Center is the best!  We ramp launch into the inland waterway, sail a short distance (STAY IN THE CHANNEL!!!) to a cut into the Gulf of Mexico, through the cut, and race in the Gulf.  It isn’t always warm, sunny and windy, but it IS warm, sunny and windy a lot more often than Annapolis (or Edmonton) in January/February!!  And per Richard White who welcomed us all, CCSC is very happy to host 505 events.
Last year the 505 MW overlapped the Laser MW.  Apart from a bit of crowding at the launching ramps (which was not a problem) it was amusing to see many of the same sailors I see in Annapolis, also escaping the Mid-Atlantic “winter”, just racing Lasers instead of 505s. This year the 505 event was moved earlier to the end of January, to avoid the conflict.
The problem with January 26 to the 28th is IT’S JANUARY!!!!  Everyone is either still hung over or didn’t start thinking about logistics until they sobered up, so a bunch of people who could have/should have been there didn’t make it.  Then there’s the guy who preferred to race Interclubs in Annapolis that weekend… I mean … whatever.
But the January dates did result in a low turnout, with nine teams registered and eight racing after Lin’s crew became sick and Lin could not find anyone to fill in (probably because Ethan had already asked every possible freelance crew if they were available, as Ali Meller needed someone to sail with, and Ali got the only good crew available!). Though a disappointing turnout this should be expected for late January, soon after Christmas and New Year’s, and after a September East Coast World Championship.
As mentioned above CCSC is a GREAT venue!! As in WAY BETTER than where you normally sail your 505!!  And it is in Florida!  In the Gulf; Yes, THE GULF OF MEXICO!! Not Tampa (slumber) Bay, not Boca Ciega Bay, not the channel into Tampa Bay, but the real thing… CCSC loves having 505 regattas and wants to see more of them; see the discussion at the end of this report regarding MORE 505 EVENTS at CCSC IN FLORIDA!!
We had really fun 505 conditions; Great breeze – gusts of 23 knots on Friday, similar conditions Saturday, lighter Sunday but still trapezing and wire running in the puffs.  The breeze was offshore, so flat water, shifty and very puffy.  This made the racing very interesting and challenging.  It was especially “Snakes and Ladders” downwind, with going from hero to zero very easy to do. Ty Baird/Ali Meller went from a very close 2nd at the weather mark to 2nd last in one downwind leg on Sunday, and that was without swimming!  The opposite and more desirable move – from zero to hero – was rather harder to do, but did happen. 
As typically happens at a 505 MW, there were some regular teams, and some pick up teams. Mike Coe couldn’t make it, so Ali was going to tow Mike’s 8841 down and sail with Ashley Love, but then Ashley had to work so Ali had to find someone else to sail with, and then a problem with Ali’s car meant he could not tow down.  Thanks to Ethan and his many local contacts, a great sailor to team up with, Ty Baird, and a great 505 to borrow, 7346, were found (about 10 minutes before Ali was going to finally pull the plug on the whole operation, Wednesday afternoon!!). 
Brendan Connell was racing with his new crew Patrick O’Bryan, Peter Scannell’s boat was in pieces so he and Andrew Forman borrowed Sol Marini’s 8018.  Marek Balinski, who drove from Toronto (which may have a bit more of a “winter” than Annapolis but NOTHING LIKE EDMONTON), teamed up with Barney “the 505 and the Albacore are EXACTLY the same” Harris. There was another local (SPYC) team, and a few more.
But the standout experienced teams were clearly going to be Eric Boothe/Ethan Bixby and Russell “the love muscle” Miller/Macy Nelson. As Ty Baird and I were getting organized before the first start, I assessed the fleet for him and concluded that there were three strong practiced fast teams and everyone else was going to be fighting for fourth.  I was partly correct:   Ethan/Eric and Macy/Russell dueled it out for the event.  In most races these two teams were either were at the front from the beginning, or quickly passed boats to get there. My other pick for “top three” were in the hunt at most weather marks but swam a lot.  Apart from the top two teams, everyone else was fighting for third, though Russell/Macy did manage to finish 3rd once and 4th once (their drop, and quite possibly due to a swim), so the two top teams were not quite 1,2 in all races.  
The battles for 3rd through 8th were bitter and hard fought (but then so were the battles for 1,2).  There was enough breeze Friday and Saturday for out-of-practice teams to swim, which was VERY slow.  I am reminded of the parallels between 505 racing and the Olympic biathlon event where you x-country ski and shoot targets. If you miss your targets you either take a time penalty or must ski an additional penalty distance.  Swimming on a gybe in the 505 is a lot like missing targets in the biathlon; you have to ski (or sail) MUCH harder than your competitors to get back into the game, but again I will spare the reader a further digression into the fine points of the biathlon event and the clear parallels with 505 racing, other than to suggest googling “winter war motti ski” for what may be the origin of the biathlon event.  Hint, the losers do NOT get medals…
The event-long battle for the win went to Russell/Macy by one point over Eric/Ethan.  My recollection is that Eric/Ethan were frequently in good shape at first weather marks, but that Russell/Macy were at a different level playing “Snakes and Ladders” downwind and found ways to get around the teams in front of them, in most of the races, doing most of that downwind. The last race (and the event) came down to one shift on the next to last run!  Great racing!
1st Place - Russell Miller and Macy Nelson
2nd Place - Eric Boothe and Ethan Bixby

The battle for 3rd through 8th was close and decided in favor of Andrew/Peter in part because they broke into the top two positions twice, finishing second in two races.  4th were Ty/Ali who swam twice and had to count one of the two resulting 7th places.  5th were Patrick/Brendan, who had flashes of brilliance, but also swam a bit. 6th were Marek/Barney in “Plastic Surgery Disaster”, which I prefer to call “The Deer Slayer”.  It is not clear the deer lost.  7th were locals Erik Mann/Nathaniel Plant, and 8th Jimmie Cockerill /Ian Conners who were only able to sail some of the races.
3rd Place - Peter Scannell and Andrew Forman

With downwind finishes, some teams were overlapped at the finish, and a lot of races were very close.  PRO Dave Ellis again ran a tight ship on RC with very little waiting (except occasionally for teams taking long refreshing swims in the Gulf of Mexico), and filled each day with racing.  I was MORE THAN READY to sail in after racing each day. I was MORE THAN READY to eat plentiful food and wine afterwards and I was MORE THAN READY to go to sleep after that.
Several teams were hosted at the Bixby’s; Thanks yet again to Miss Trudy for hosting and feeding the fleet!! We also had dinners at a restaurant very near the CCSC Friday, and at CCSC itself on Saturday.
I was very fortunate that Ethan found Ty Baird for me to sail with.  Ty is a Laser and occasional 49er sailor.  He had a lot of fun (despite having to sail with me) appreciated the 505 and is looking forward to more opportunities to race 505s. We were able to borrow 7346 from Andrew and Kelly Jones in return for doing a repair on the bow.  At the risk of yet another digression, 7346 is a “wood-look” Waterat, similar to my own 7200, but built on a Hamlin hull rather than the Lindsay hull on 7200.  I remember this boat from when Macy Nelson owned it in 1983 or ’84.  It is still very stiff, very strong, and very fast!!  For my amusement (and possibly yours) I determined who had owned 7346 and in what order:
1.     Macy Nelson,
2.     Jim Englert,
3.     Latane Montague,
4.     John Hauser,
5.     Mark Angliss,
6.     Craig Thompson,
7.     Andrew Jones
And now, for next year…  With CCSC and Richard White so enthusiastic to hold multiple 505 events, and Florida being way more fun to sail in than the Mid-Atlantic, New England (or Edmonton) in January/February, we are planning on TWO events for next year.  Boats will be left in CCSC’s large and secure storage lot between events.  The exact dates and other details are still being worked out.
The results show boats as registered, not quite as raced.  Ali was not able to tow a boat down, so raced the magnificent 7346 “The Lizard” rather than 8841 “Swagman”.  http://www.regattanetwork.com/clubmgmt/applet_regatta_results.php?regatta_id=15601

Unfortunately, regattanetwork.com does not show both tactician/crew and driver names; it just shows who registered.